Obesity is a major health concern in the United States and other countries. A significant portion of the population is overweight with the number increasing every year. Obesity is one of the leading causes of preventable death. Obesity is associated with several co-morbidities that affect almost every body system. Some of these co-morbidities include: hypertension, heart disease, stroke, high cholesterol, diabetes, coronary disease, breathing disorders, sleep apnea, cancer, gallstones, and musculoskeletal problems.
Multiple factors contribute to obesity, including physical inactivity and overeating. A variety of medical approaches have been devised for treatment of obesity. Existing therapies include diet, exercise, appetite suppressive drugs, metabolism enhancing drugs, surgical restriction of the gastric tract, and surgical modification of the gastric tract. In general, surgery is reserved for patients in whom conservative measures, such as monitoring caloric intake or controlling appetite with appetite suppressants, have failed. In addition, surgery is generally reserved for patients who are seriously, and sometimes morbidly, overweight.
There are many surgical approaches to obesity. For example, one technique involves implantation of one or more bulking prostheses to reduce stomach volume. A bulking prosthesis and limits the amount of food the stomach can hold, causing a sensation of satiety. Another approach is restrictive surgery, which surgically makes the stomach smaller by removing or closing a section of the stomach. This procedure also reduces the amount of food the stomach can hold. Another surgical procedure is the gastric bypass procedure, in which a surgeon creates a small stomach pouch to restrict food intake and constructs a bypass of the duodenum and other segments of the small intestine. This procedure limits the amount of food that is completely digested or absorbed by the patient.